Payvand’s top 10 popular books for 2011

Though his monarchy was toppled in 1979 and he died in 1980, the life of Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlevi, the last Shah of Iran, continues to resonate today. Here, internationally respected author Abbas Milani gives us the definitive biography, more than ten years in the making, of the monarch who shaped Iran’s modern age and with it the contemporary politics of the Middle East.

A true story as exhilarating as a great spy thriller, as turbulent as today’s headlines from the Middle East, 2010 National Best Books Award-winning A Time to Betray reveals what no other previous CIA operative’s memoir possibly could: the inner workings of the notorious Revolutionary Guards of Iran, as witnessed by an Iranian man inside their ranks who spied for the American government.

On April 2, 2003, while on an assignment for the BBC in northern Iraq, the Iranian photographer Kaveh Golestan stepped on a land mine and was killed. A photojournalist since 1972, Golestan had witnessed the recent history of his country like no other and had been a tireless chronicler of its conflicts: he documented eight years of war with Iraq (including Halabjeh in 1988) and the repression of the Kurds in both Iran and Iraq.

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, how do we prepare our children to succeed and to become happy, informed global citizens? A mother of three, Homa Sabet Tavangar has spent her career helping governments develop globally oriented programs and advising businesses on how to thrive abroad.

Immortal is the only single-volume English-language survey of Iran’s military history. CIA analyst Steven R. Ward shows that Iran’s soldiers, from the famed “Immortals” of ancient Persia to today’s Revolutionary Guard, have demonstrated through the centuries that they should not be underestimated.

This is a story about power, power over entire nations and continents. The story describes the vehicle to that unparalleled power over nations, oil, and the vital role it has played in peace as well as wars in the past century. Henry Kissinger, the former American Secretary of State put it succinctly during the first oil shock of the early 1970’s. He declared, “Control the oil and you control entire nations.”

The U.S. ability to ‘read’ the Iranian regime and formulate appropriate policies has been weakened by lack of access to the country and by the opacity of decision-making in Tehran. To improve understanding of Iran1s political system, the authors describe Iranian strategic culture; investigate Iran1s informal networks, formal government institutions, and personalities; assess the impact of elite behavior on Iranian policy; and summarize key trends.

It was like a fairy tale. At twenty-one Farah Diba married Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, the shah of Iran, and became an international celebrity. But twenty years later unrest shook the country, sending Farah and the seriously ill shah into exile. For the first time, Farah Diba tells the wrenching story of his last years, and of her love for a man and his country.

The U.S. republic founded in 1776 bears no resemblance to the anti-democratic police state that has declared war on its citizens, and provokes needless wars in the Middle East at the behest of Israel. At the center of it all is the parasitic control of the Israel Lobby on the U.S. government. The Host and The Parasite shows how the Lobby, evangelical Christians and neo-cons rode to power in the 1980s and proceeded to turn the United States into Israel’s willing executioner.

Simple and colorful, this book introduces the Persian New Year to young children. It includes 3 simple crafts which provide parents and teachers practical and easy ways to celebrate Norouz at home and at school.

Discover the splendor of ancient Persia through this in-depth documentary series, which charts the rise of the Achaemenid and Sassanid empires, visits extraordinary locations, and profiles influential figures like Cyrus the Great, Darius and Xerxes. An illuminating look at the Iranian plateau’s rich history and culture, this program features fascinating stops in places like Bishapur, Darab, Persepolis and Firuzabad.